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First Post
03-07-2025
- Climate
- First Post
Heatwave is back to scald Europe. But why is air conditioning still not common?
As parts of Europe report record-breaking temperatures, air conditioning remains rare in households. Only around 20 per cent of European homes have ACs. While mercury soars and becomes deadly, why are people on the continent not fans of the appliances? read more Air conditioning technology outside a building housewall, in the Bavarian village of Fuerstenfeldbruck, southern Germany on July 28, 2023. File Photo/AFP An intense heatwave is making Europe sweat. Temperatures have exceeded 40 degrees Celsius in several places, with many issuing heat alert warnings. There is little respite from the punishing heat, even as the heatwave turns deadly. This is because air conditioning is rarely found in European homes and offices. As heatwaves become more prolonged and intense, is air cooling the answer to Europe's problems? Let's take a closer look. Why are ACs rare in Europe? The majority of European households do not have air conditioning, which has become a necessity in many parts of the world as the planet warms. Just around 20 per cent of European homes have ACs. In the United Kingdom, about five per cent of homes have cooling systems, mostly portable AC units. In Germany, only three per cent of homes have ACs. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD According to the 2018 International Energy Agency (IEA) report, based on data from 2016, the European Union (EU) has far fewer AC units than China or the United States. The overall number of ACs was 96.5 million (9.65 crore) units in the EU, which had around 20 units per 1,000 inhabitants. The IEA report also mentioned that air conditioning is installed in more commercial buildings than in private homes in Europe. People cool off in a fountain in front of Berlin Cathedral on a hot summer day, as a heatwave hits Berlin, Germany, July 2, 2025. Reuters Europe's aversion to ACs could be because the countries on the continent have historically had little need for cooling, particularly in the north. 'In Europe… we simply don't have the tradition of air conditioning… because up to relatively recently, it hasn't been a major need,' Brian Motherway, head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the International Energy Agency, told CNN. Getting an AC is seen as a small luxury in Europe. The cost of installation and energy bills once it is running are seen as an obstacle. Energy costs in many European countries are higher than in the United States, where 90 per cent of homes have ACs, but incomes are lower. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The architecture of some buildings, which were built to withstand the heat, in southern European countries has also prevented people from adopting artificial cooling. Frequent heatwaves are changing attitudes Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth. However, data from Eurostat found that air cooling accounts for just 0.5 per cent of final energy consumption by European households. As Europe witnesses record-breaking temperatures, attitudes about installing ACs are changing. The number of AC units has more than doubled in Europe since 1990, as per Euronews. IEA forecasts that the number of air conditioning units in the EU is likely to rise to 275 million (27.5 crore) by 2050. Richard Salmon, the director of the UK-based Air Conditioning Company, told CNN that he has seen a surge in demand for air conditioning. 'Over the last five years, residential enquiries have more than tripled. This heatwave in particular has sent things through the roof… People just can't function when they're boiling at 3 am.' Environmental impact of ACs Air conditioning uses a large amount of energy and pushes heat outside. A 2020 study on air conditioning use in Paris highlighted that 'if AC systems release heat into the street, as is most often the case, the outside air is warmed and the heatwave worsens.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'Although it is an efficient solution for households that can afford it, AC makes the situation worse for households who cannot or do not want to adopt it,' the study published in the Environmental Research Letters scientific journal said. According to the IEA, air conditioning is to be blamed for the emission of around one billion tonnes of CO2 a year, out of a total of 37 billion tonnes emitted globally. A view shows window air conditioning condenser units hanging on block of flats during a week-long heatwave in Madrid, Spain, July 22, 2022. File Photo/Reuters Clara Camarasa, an expert at the IEA, told Euronews that air conditioning 'can put immense pressure on electricity grids and accelerate greenhouse gas emissions, exacerbating the climate crisis.' 'Rapid growth in [air conditioning] requirements can lead to the use of inefficient, energy-intensive equipment,' she explained. 'Air conditioners also often need large volumes of water, and some of them, with certain refrigerants, have a particularly warming potential, which is also harmful to the ozone layer.' Some countries have put restrictions on the use of air conditioning. In 2022, Spain directed public places not to set ACs lower than 27 degrees Celsius to save energy. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amid soaring mercury, air conditioning is becoming essential in some regions to stay cool. Access to ACs saves tens of thousands of lives a year, as per a recent IEA report. Studies have also shown that the risk of heat-related death falls by about 75 per cent for households with air conditioning. Instead of curtailing the use of ACs, experts say the need is to adopt more efficient cooling systems, insulate buildings and plant vegetation. 'Nature-based solutions are attracting increasing interest as a means of combating urban heat islands. Green spaces [and] green roofs can make cities more resilient, as a complement to efficient technologies,' Camarasa said. With inputs from agencies
CNN
02-07-2025
- Climate
- CNN
European summers are getting brutally hot. So why is air conditioning so rare?
A brutal heat wave is gripping many parts of Europe, leaving millions of people struggling to adapt to punishing, record-breaking temperatures. Heat persists even at night, with temperatures in some places not dipping much below 90 degrees. There is little respite. Air conditioning is very rare in European homes. Many residents are being forced to ride out the searing heat with the help of electric fans, ice packs and cold showers. But Europe hasn't approached heat in the same way as the historically hotter United States. While nearly 90% of US homes have air conditioning, in Europe it's around 20%, and some countries have much lower rates. In the United Kingdom, only around 5% of homes have cooling systems — many of which are portable AC units. In Germany, the figure is 3%. As climate change drives more severe and prolonged heat waves, which arrive earlier and earlier, some are questioning why wealthy European countries have been seemingly reluctant to adopt air conditioning — especially as the heat takes an increasingly deadly toll. A big part of the reason is many European countries historically had little need for cooling, especially in the north. Heat waves have always happened but rarely reached the prolonged high temperatures Europe now regularly endures. 'In Europe… we simply don't have the tradition of air conditioning… because up to relatively recently, it hasn't been a major need,' said Brian Motherway, head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the International Energy Agency. This meant AC has traditionally been seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, especially as installing and running it can be expensive. Energy costs in many European countries are higher than in the US, while incomes tend to be lower. Energy prices have risen even further since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, as the EU takes steps to phase out its reliance on Russian oil and gas. Though prices have stabilized since the initial energy crisis of 2022, the cost of powering an AC unit may still be out of reach for many Europeans. Then there's the architecture. Some buildings in hotter, southern European countries were built for the heat. They have thick walls, small windows that keep the sun from beaming inside and are designed to maximize air flow. This has helped keep them cooler and lessened the perceived need for artificial cooling. In other parts of Europe, however, homes have not been designed with heat in mind. 'We haven't been in the habit … of thinking about how we stay cool in the summer. It really is a relatively recent phenomenon,' said Motherway. Buildings on the continent tend to be older, built before AC technology became mainstream. In England, which has just endured its hottest June on record, one in six homes were built before 1900. It can be harder to outfit older homes with central cooling systems, although far from impossible, Motherway said. Sometimes a bigger problem is red tape, said Richard Salmon, the director of the Air Conditioning Company based in the UK. UK authorities will often reject applications to install AC 'on the basis of the visual appearance of the outdoor condenser unit, especially in conservation areas or on listed buildings,' he said. There is also a policy angle. Europe has pledged to become 'climate neutral' by 2050 and a sharp increase in air conditioners will make climate commitments even harder to reach. Not only are air conditioners energy guzzlers, but they also push heat outside. A study looking at AC use in Paris found they could increase the outside temperature between about 2 and 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 Fahrenheit). This impact is especially severe in Europe's generally dense cities. Some countries have imposed measures to limit air conditioning. In 2022, Spain introduced rules stipulating AC in public places should be set no lower than 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) to save energy. Attitudes and concerns around AC in Europe are changing, however, as the continent becomes a climate hotspot, warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. The continent faces a dilemma: embrace energy-intensive air conditioning, with the negative climate impacts it brings, or find alternative ways to cope with its ever-hotter future. 'Our homes need to be resilient not just to the cold, but to the increasingly brutal heat,' said Yetunde Abdul, director at UK Green Building Council. There are already clear signs uptake is increasing in Europe, as in many parts of the world. An IEA report found the number of air conditioning units in the EU is likely to rise to 275 million by 2050 — more than double the 2019 figure. The Air Conditioning Company's Salmon says he has seen demand for air conditioning skyrocket. 'Over the last five years, residential enquiries have more than tripled. This heatwave in particular has sent things through the roof… People just can't function when they're boiling at 3 a.m.' Some politicians are pushing for a sweeping uptake of AC. France's far-right politician Marine Le Pen has vowed to implement a 'major air conditioning infrastructure plan,' while criticizing the 'so-called French elites' who encourage others to seek alternative cooling methods while they 'obviously enjoy air-conditioned cars and offices.' But experts warn AC may be a quick reprieve from scorching temperatures but it gobbles up energy, most of which still comes from planet-heating fossil fuels. Using fossil fuel-powered AC increases planet-heating pollution, which in turn increases temperatures, fueling 'a vicious cycle of worsening climate change,' said Radhika Khosla, an associate professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. The reality is mindsets around AC are undoubtedly going to change in Europe, as extreme heat — and its health impacts — increases, IEA's Motherway said. The challenge will be making sure countries have strong regulations around the efficiency of cooling systems to reduce their potentially huge climate impact. 'Because every air conditioner sold today locks in energy use and emissions for the next decade or two decades. So it's important we get this right first time.'
CNN
02-07-2025
- Climate
- CNN
European summers are getting brutally hot. So why is air conditioning so rare?
Extreme temperaturesFacebookTweetLink A brutal heat wave is gripping many parts of Europe, leaving millions of people struggling to adapt to punishing, record-breaking temperatures. Heat persists even at night, with temperatures in some places not dipping much below 90 degrees. There is little respite. Air conditioning is very rare in European homes. Many residents are being forced to ride out the searing heat with the help of electric fans, ice packs and cold showers. But Europe hasn't approached heat in the same way as the historically hotter United States. While nearly 90% of US homes have air conditioning, in Europe it's around 20%, and some countries have much lower rates. In the United Kingdom, only around 5% of homes have cooling systems — many of which are portable AC units. In Germany, the figure is 3%. As climate change drives more severe and prolonged heat waves, which arrive earlier and earlier, some are questioning why wealthy European countries have been seemingly reluctant to adopt air conditioning — especially as the heat takes an increasingly deadly toll. A big part of the reason is many European countries historically had little need for cooling, especially in the north. Heat waves have always happened but rarely reached the prolonged high temperatures Europe now regularly endures. 'In Europe… we simply don't have the tradition of air conditioning… because up to relatively recently, it hasn't been a major need,' said Brian Motherway, head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the International Energy Agency. This meant AC has traditionally been seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, especially as installing and running it can be expensive. Energy costs in many European countries are higher than in the US, while incomes tend to be lower. Energy prices have risen even further since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, as the EU takes steps to phase out its reliance on Russian oil and gas. Though prices have stabilized since the initial energy crisis of 2022, the cost of powering an AC unit may still be out of reach for many Europeans. Then there's the architecture. Some buildings in hotter, southern European countries were built for the heat. They have thick walls, small windows that keep the sun from beaming inside and are designed to maximize air flow. This has helped keep them cooler and lessened the perceived need for artificial cooling. In other parts of Europe, however, homes have not been designed with heat in mind. 'We haven't been in the habit … of thinking about how we stay cool in the summer. It really is a relatively recent phenomenon,' said Motherway. Buildings on the continent tend to be older, built before AC technology became mainstream. In England, which has just endured its hottest June on record, one in six homes were built before 1900. It can be harder to outfit older homes with central cooling systems, although far from impossible, Motherway said. Sometimes a bigger problem is red tape, said Richard Salmon, the director of the Air Conditioning Company based in the UK. UK authorities will often reject applications to install AC 'on the basis of the visual appearance of the outdoor condenser unit, especially in conservation areas or on listed buildings,' he said. There is also a policy angle. Europe has pledged to become 'climate neutral' by 2050 and a sharp increase in air conditioners will make climate commitments even harder to reach. Not only are air conditioners energy guzzlers, but they also push heat outside. A study looking at AC use in Paris found they could increase the outside temperature between about 2 and 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 Fahrenheit). This impact is especially severe in Europe's generally dense cities. Some countries have imposed measures to limit air conditioning. In 2022, Spain introduced rules stipulating AC in public places should be set no lower than 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) to save energy. Attitudes and concerns around AC in Europe are changing, however, as the continent becomes a climate hotspot, warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. The continent faces a dilemma: embrace energy-intensive air conditioning, with the negative climate impacts it brings, or find alternative ways to cope with its ever-hotter future. 'Our homes need to be resilient not just to the cold, but to the increasingly brutal heat,' said Yetunde Abdul, director at UK Green Building Council. There are already clear signs uptake is increasing in Europe, as in many parts of the world. An IEA report found the number of air conditioning units in the EU is likely to rise to 275 million by 2050 — more than double the 2019 figure. The Air Conditioning Company's Salmon says he has seen demand for air conditioning skyrocket. 'Over the last five years, residential enquiries have more than tripled. This heatwave in particular has sent things through the roof… People just can't function when they're boiling at 3 a.m.' Some politicians are pushing for a sweeping uptake of AC. France's far-right politician Marine Le Pen has vowed to implement a 'major air conditioning infrastructure plan,' while criticizing the 'so-called French elites' who encourage others to seek alternative cooling methods while they 'obviously enjoy air-conditioned cars and offices.' But experts warn AC may be a quick reprieve from scorching temperatures but it gobbles up energy, most of which still comes from planet-heating fossil fuels. Using fossil fuel-powered AC increases planet-heating pollution, which in turn increases temperatures, fueling 'a vicious cycle of worsening climate change,' said Radhika Khosla, an associate professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. The reality is mindsets around AC are undoubtedly going to change in Europe, as extreme heat — and its health impacts — increases, IEA's Motherway said. The challenge will be making sure countries have strong regulations around the efficiency of cooling systems to reduce their potentially huge climate impact. 'Because every air conditioner sold today locks in energy use and emissions for the next decade or two decades. So it's important we get this right first time.'
CNN
02-07-2025
- Climate
- CNN
European summers are getting brutally hot. So why is air conditioning so rare?
A brutal heat wave is gripping many parts of Europe, leaving millions of people struggling to adapt to punishing, record-breaking temperatures. Heat persists even at night, with temperatures in some places not dipping much below 90 degrees. There is little respite. Air conditioning is very rare in European homes. Many residents are being forced to ride out the searing heat with the help of electric fans, ice packs and cold showers. But Europe hasn't approached heat in the same way as the historically hotter United States. While nearly 90% of US homes have air conditioning, in Europe it's around 20%, and some countries have much lower rates. In the United Kingdom, only around 5% of homes have cooling systems — many of which are portable AC units. In Germany, the figure is 3%. As climate change drives more severe and prolonged heat waves, which arrive earlier and earlier, some are questioning why wealthy European countries have been seemingly reluctant to adopt air conditioning — especially as the heat takes an increasingly deadly toll. A big part of the reason is many European countries historically had little need for cooling, especially in the north. Heat waves have always happened but rarely reached the prolonged high temperatures Europe now regularly endures. 'In Europe… we simply don't have the tradition of air conditioning… because up to relatively recently, it hasn't been a major need,' said Brian Motherway, head of the Office of Energy Efficiency and Inclusive Transitions at the International Energy Agency. This meant AC has traditionally been seen as a luxury rather than a necessity, especially as installing and running it can be expensive. Energy costs in many European countries are higher than in the US, while incomes tend to be lower. Energy prices have risen even further since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, as the EU takes steps to phase out its reliance on Russian oil and gas. Though prices have stabilized since the initial energy crisis of 2022, the cost of powering an AC unit may still be out of reach for many Europeans. Then there's the architecture. Some buildings in hotter, southern European countries were built for the heat. They have thick walls, small windows that keep the sun from beaming inside and are designed to maximize air flow. This has helped keep them cooler and lessened the perceived need for artificial cooling. In other parts of Europe, however, homes have not been designed with heat in mind. 'We haven't been in the habit … of thinking about how we stay cool in the summer. It really is a relatively recent phenomenon,' said Motherway. Buildings on the continent tend to be older, built before AC technology became mainstream. In England, which has just endured its hottest June on record, one in six homes were built before 1900. It can be harder to outfit older homes with central cooling systems, although far from impossible, Motherway said. Sometimes a bigger problem is red tape, said Richard Salmon, the director of the Air Conditioning Company based in the UK. UK authorities will often reject applications to install AC 'on the basis of the visual appearance of the outdoor condenser unit, especially in conservation areas or on listed buildings,' he said. There is also a policy angle. Europe has pledged to become 'climate neutral' by 2050 and a sharp increase in air conditioners will make climate commitments even harder to reach. Not only are air conditioners energy guzzlers, but they also push heat outside. A study looking at AC use in Paris found they could increase the outside temperature between about 2 and 4 degrees Celsius (3.6 to 7.2 Fahrenheit). This impact is especially severe in Europe's generally dense cities. Some countries have imposed measures to limit air conditioning. In 2022, Spain introduced rules stipulating AC in public places should be set no lower than 27 degrees Celsius (80 degrees Fahrenheit) to save energy. Attitudes and concerns around AC in Europe are changing, however, as the continent becomes a climate hotspot, warming at twice the rate of the rest of the world. The continent faces a dilemma: embrace energy-intensive air conditioning, with the negative climate impacts it brings, or find alternative ways to cope with its ever-hotter future. 'Our homes need to be resilient not just to the cold, but to the increasingly brutal heat,' said Yetunde Abdul, director at UK Green Building Council. There are already clear signs uptake is increasing in Europe, as in many parts of the world. An IEA report found the number of air conditioning units in the EU is likely to rise to 275 million by 2050 — more than double the 2019 figure. The Air Conditioning Company's Salmon says he has seen demand for air conditioning skyrocket. 'Over the last five years, residential enquiries have more than tripled. This heatwave in particular has sent things through the roof… People just can't function when they're boiling at 3 a.m.' Some politicians are pushing for a sweeping uptake of AC. France's far-right politician Marine Le Pen has vowed to implement a 'major air conditioning infrastructure plan,' while criticizing the 'so-called French elites' who encourage others to seek alternative cooling methods while they 'obviously enjoy air-conditioned cars and offices.' But experts warn AC may be a quick reprieve from scorching temperatures but it gobbles up energy, most of which still comes from planet-heating fossil fuels. Using fossil fuel-powered AC increases planet-heating pollution, which in turn increases temperatures, fueling 'a vicious cycle of worsening climate change,' said Radhika Khosla, an associate professor at the Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment at the University of Oxford. The reality is mindsets around AC are undoubtedly going to change in Europe, as extreme heat — and its health impacts — increases, IEA's Motherway said. The challenge will be making sure countries have strong regulations around the efficiency of cooling systems to reduce their potentially huge climate impact. 'Because every air conditioner sold today locks in energy use and emissions for the next decade or two decades. So it's important we get this right first time.'
